Winemaker Notes
Leather, tobacco, and cola in a dense, masculine cloak of ripe dark berries makes one imagine sipping this in an old 19th-century library. This wine has a refined richness that stands out, and ages beautifully.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From a vineyard named after the region’s pionering pair of Garys, this utterly satisfying bottling begins with aromas that blend umami-focused hints of soy, shiitake and smoke with fresh fruit and flower scents. Solidly chalky in texture, the palate delivers Bing cherry and pure blackberry flavors cut by steady acidity.
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Vinous
Hailing from one of the premier sites in the Santa Lucia Highlands, planted in 1996, the 2022 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard is flat-out gorgeous. Beautifully rendered, it boasts generous fruit density, crystal-clear delineation of flavors and bracing structure. Fully destemmed, the 2022 finishes with a ton of persistence in its dark berry flavors, even darker cherry, black licorice and black sage. The 2022 leaves behind a fine web of powdery tannins, neatly wrapped up with a little bow on top, concentrated, effusive, and ready to rock.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard occupies a darker side of the Roar roster, adding blue and black-fruited opulence to floral lift and toasted oak aromas that integrate impressively well with the overall bouquet. The palate is svelte and richly concentrated, moving to a powerful, latent finish framed with balancing acidity and chalky tannins. Another degree of mineral intensity emerges after time in the glass, further serving to balance its overall robust frame. Rating: 93+
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Wine Spectator
A wave of juicy boysenberry and mulberry fruit splays out, with singed anise, sweet tobacco and fruitcake notes emerging through the flattering finish.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Perhaps the most highly regarded appellation within Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA benefits from a combination of warm morning sunshine and brisk afternoon breezes, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and fully. The result is concentrated, flavorful wines that retain their natural acidity. Wineries here do not shy away from innovation, and place a high priority on sustainable viticultural practices.
The climatic conditions here are perfectly suited to the production of ripe, rich Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These Burgundian varieties dominate an overwhelming percentage of plantings, though growers have also found success with Syrah, Riesling and Pinot Gris.